Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/540304
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS DrivingfromRedBluffto Los Angeles on Wednesday provided lots of material for a dark drama, par- ticularly if one had a paranoia complex. It could have been a dark and gloomy day. First there was breaking news that United Airlines had grounded all flights because of a technical glitch; the term "hacking" immediately came into the empty space between my ears. It seemed only a short time later that the New York Stock Exchange suspended trading because of another technical glitch, and the web- site for the Wall Street Journal went down. In between these announce- ments, each of which lacked any specificity, were ongoing worrisome prognostications about the problems of Greek debt the seeming collapse of the Chinese stock market, and the debt crisis in Puerto Rico. Given the dark clouds over Lassen Peak, it was easy to wonder just what was happen- ing. Have we reached a piv- otal time in our history? Is the world about to change. Then we heard about lit- tle Vladimir Putin's attempt to put together a group of non- western nations to support his economic concerns and act as an alternative to the west- ern powers who have imposed sanctions because of his ac- tions in the Ukraine. During all these sunny news items we were bombarded ev- ery ten miles or so with the message that there are "severe drought conditions." Then there was the news item about the poor woman who was killed by an illegal immigrant in the waterfront area of San Francisco and the update that the gun the killer used was stolen from a federal agent. After that update we got to hear the bureaucratic parsing of words by San Fran- cisco law enforcement and ICE folks who wondered how it was that no one did anything about the murderer before he killed someone. You could sort of view these bureaucrats shrugging their shoulders and mumbling "we did all we thought we could do." Meanwhile we had to dodge potholes and rough spots while we crept through con- struction areas, giving me time to read the newspapers while we inched our way down I-5. At his writing the miss- ing 6-month-old child in Red- ding had not been found, and it seemed her father was mak- ing inconsistent remarks about his actions. During his long interrogation he never once asked what effort was be- ing made to find his daugh- ter. He was booked for failure to complete the terms of his probation, having completed only one quarter of the work he was supposed to have done. He seems to be one of many slipping through the cracks in our law enforcement and pro- bation system — a gloomy sign of the times. We did not plan carefully about gas purchases, and al- though we average more than 40 mpg, we pulled over in Coalinga to buy gas with an estimated 30 miles left in the tank. A well lit sign over the Standard Oil Station pro- claimed $2.59 per gallon, cash price for regular. Wow, I thought, that is amazing, too good to be true. Of course it was too good to be true; the sign had malfunctioned and no amount of fast talk- ing could convince the station manager he needed to honor the advertise price rather than the $4.29 on pump. We showed him and went across the street and bought gas at Valero for only $4.19. One bright spot along that long drive was news that the legislature in South Carolina decided that it would be all right to take down the Con- federate flag 155 years after its failed attempt to attack and secede from the United States and preserve "its way of life," aka the right to own other people. One moment that con- trasted with the gloom and doom of the news was reading William Tells Overture about his entry into the unpaid jour- nalism amateurs who fill up the pages of the Daily News. It has been a pleasure to read commentary from someone who doesn't adamantly affirm his correctness or look down his nose at those who do not agree with him. Of course there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and we could look forward to a week at Newport Beach with our children and grandchil- dren, which makes all this dreariness seem only like background noise. JoeHarropisaretired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Joe Harrop Sir Real or surreal on the road? It has been a pleasure to read commentary from someone who doesn't adamantly affirm his correctness or look down his nose at those who do not agree with him. Walmart,friendorfoe? Editor: Above poverty standard of liv- ing? Job security? Health care benefits that are paid for by the employees wage package? Pen- sion plan? How does the old con go, "it's a good job for Red Bluff." Te- hama County employers have been using that one for years. They take advantage of an hon- est workforce whilst making bank by taking from their work- ers. This is a very lucrative area to be in. For employers. And now, we have Walmart Supercenter about to make its millions from Tehama County shoppers and from its workers. Just like what The Home Depot did to the other hardware stores, Walmart will do to its competition. Honest competition? Walmart dragged an out-of-the-area gen- eral contractor here to help cut labor costs. Minimal wages? Thirty-five-hour work weeks designed to skirt paying any health care or benefits? The re- sult being, the taxpayers pickup that tab. Closed circuit cameras in and around not for shopper protec- tion but to spy on their own workers in case they try to im- prove their working conditions. This company is one of the wealthiest. They have lost law- suits numerous times regarding their conduct. Red Bluff may have made a little jingle in their pockets now from permits, roads, etc. But what about later? — Terry Van Dyke, Red Bluff Giving blood helps donors, too Editor: Giving blood doesn't just help patients — it helps donors, too. Donor benefits include losing weight, free testing for STDs and improved cardiovascular health. Giving blood effectively burns 650 calories. However, since it can only be donated every two months, such only enables los- ing one pound per year. Donat- ing plasma though, burns 470 calories and can be done twice a week to lose 14 pounds a years, for a total loss of 15 pounds per year. Otherwise, burning that much weight, 15 pounds, would require walking an hour a day for seven months — covering to- taling 420 miles. Another perk of giving blood is it includes free testing for HIV, syphilis and other blood- borne diseases. Donating blood also keeps it thin — effecting less friction and artery damage. A study in the Journal of the American Medi- cal Association found donating blood every six months reduces the incidence of heart attacks and strokes. A study in the Jour- nal of the National Cancer In- stitute found the associated re- duction of blood iron decreases free-radical damage, cancer and aging. Finally, donating blood and plasma saves hundreds of lives. Blood and plasma can be do- nated in Chico, Corning, Red Bluff and Redding. For more information about donating locally, visit www. bloodsource.org. — Nathan Esplanade, Rancho Tehama Pleased with experience Editor: On July 9, I had an operation performed at the Day Surgery Center at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Needless to say, I was not anx- iously awaiting it. However it turned out to be a quality experience. From the pre-op paper work and the en- suing interview with RNFA Missy Dominick, to the recov- ery and release supervised by RN Laura Nasise, the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and effi- cient. They all provided that ex- tra effort in each of their respon- sibilities. Thank you St. Elizabeth's, it is great to have such an exemplary hospital in Red Bluff. A special thanks to Dr. Wil- liam Gentry and his staff—Val- erie and Jill. — Rick Prestwood, Red Bluff Locked vehicle helps prevent the Editor: Apparently on a single occa- sion we forgot to lock our car doors, and the result was theft of the trunk items. The latest theft, that probably occurred three months prior, was not no- ticed until we were going to use trunk stored GPS for a va- cation trip, the binoculars for a trip to Ft. Bragg, and the emer- gency vehicle trunk kit, to locate a bandage following a fall at Ft. Bragg. Valuable items are never kept other than in the trunk. As many in Tehama County, we have now had 6 thefts: One by breaking the window on a cheap Corning airport car where the thief took the battery, wiper motor, and speakers; the sec- ond theft was emptying our ga- rage and about $2,000 in tools, ski gear and motorcycle helmets, by use of a pick to rip a hole in the garage rear; the third theft was my billfold, at a local hard- ware store, with about $300 in cash, various licenses and a credit card; the fourth theft was of a new wheelbarrow, lawn mower and several hundred feet of hoses, not noticed until our granddaughter came to cut the lawn; the previous to last theft was a home break in, by a likely known person, who took down the gutter downspout, removed pictures from the wall, emptied the wine rack placing the bottles on a counter and stealing only my wife's costume jewelry and a Rosary, plus my aircraft main- tenance log books, a Federal Crime that results in probably $5,000 reduction in the value of my old 1948 airplane. The other cost was the ripped window screen and the smashed win- dow. An alarm system now pro- vides the security. It is sad that so many must experience theft because of the entitlement society belief that what is yours and earned with sacrifices, is really theirs. — Joseph Neff, Corning Your opinions Cartoonist's take Give Donald Trump this much: he knows how to play the media like a violin. If I had half his business brain I'd send him a bill for this col- umn, because ev- ery time a serious journalist treats his campaign se- riously it feeds his coffers. Call Trump a bona fide political threat, and he's laughing all the way to the next campaign appearance. Call him a clown, and he's laughing all the way to the bank. Few in media are fooled by Trump — even his admirers at Fox News. They all know he has zero chance to win the Repub- lican nomination let alone be elected president. Yet, the higher he climbs in early, irrelevant polls the more ink he gets. It can be argued that even those voters who tell pollsters they prefer Trump are play- ing along — for now. Many are frustrated by the sheer size of the GOP roster, by the tedious length of modern presidential campaigns, and by the seeming inevitability of Hillary Clinton's nomination on the Democrat's side. What better way to goose the process than by saying, "I'm for Donald Trump." A CNN poll ranked Trump second, behind Jeb Bush, among Republicans and Republican- leaning independents nation- wide. This happens in high schools when a unpopular kid with few friends inexplicably shows up as a favorite for prom king or queen. It's the students' way of pushing back against a process they never really liked. In Trump's case, it's win-win. The other day The New York Times ran not one but two op-ed columns about Trump's candi- dacy. In one, GOP veteran Peter Wehner noted, "...the press are only too happy to highlight Mr. Trump's stream of invective and outrageous utterances..." And why not? In mid-sum- mer, nothing sizzles more than news of a bombastic billionaire stating flatly that Mexico is in- tentionally sending drug dealers and rapists our way. Actually, for comedians like Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon, it's almost too easy — like shoot- ing elephants in a barrel. But for news reporters and columnists the Trump phenomenon is not so simple to deal with. Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post artfully called him "a farce to be reckoned with." That's pre- cisely what Trump is counting on. Here's the thing about Trump's campaign. He's scoring with some ultra-frustrated con- servatives at this preliminary stage by appearing to boldly speak his mind without the cal- culated caution practiced by conventional politicians. In fact, Trump's boldness comes from knowing he has no chance and therefore can't be hurt by speak- ing out irresponsibly. The Trump campaign is mod- ern, social-media driven politi- cal theater. Maybe this is what the public and its media deserve for allow- ing presidential campaigns to begin so early. The first GOP de- bate is less than a month away. And thanks to Donald Trump's presence, the Fox News Channel telecast might actually draw a sizable audience. Will Trump walk on stage na- ked? Wearing a Mexican som- brero? Holding a gun? He'll think of something, because he doesn't really care. Nor should we. Peter Funt is a writer and speaker. His book, "Cautiously Optimistic," is available at Amazon.com and CandidCamera.com. Peter Funt Trump's laughing at us, all the way to the bank PeterFunt Joe Harrop OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, July 11, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4